Ħaż-Żebbuġ, Malta
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Żebbuġ Ħaż-Żebbuġ Città Rohan, Casal Zebbugi |
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| City and Local council | |||
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| Motto: Semper Virens | |||
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| Coordinates: 35°52′23″N 14°26′31″E / 35.87306°N 14.44194°ECoordinates: 35°52′23″N 14°26′31″E / 35.87306°N 14.44194°E | |||
| Country |
 Malta
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| Region | Southern Region | ||
| District | Western District | ||
| Borders | Attard, Mdina, Qormi, Rabat, Siġġiewi | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Sarah Agius (PL) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 8.7 km2 (3.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (March 2014) | |||
| • Total | 11,903 | ||
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Żebbuġi (m), Żebbuġija (f), Żebbuġin (pl) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | ZBG | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| ISO 3166 code | MT-66 | ||
| Patron saint | St. Philip of Agira | ||
| Day of festa | 12 May (Liturgical feast) 2nd Sunday of June (Parish feast) |
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| Website | Official website | ||
Żebbuġ (Maltese: Ħaż-Żebbuġ) [ħazˈzɛbbʊtʃ], also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,903 as of March 2014.
The parish Church is dedicated to Philip of Agira and the feast is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of June, although the actual feast day falls on the 12th day of May. The name of the town literally means "olives" in Maltese; it derives from the large olive groves that stood in and around the current location of the church and the centre of the town. The town was bestowed with the title of Città Rohan by Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc, the Grand Master of the Order of St. John on 21 June 1777. As was the custom in such events, the people of Ħaż-Żebbuġ built an archway known as the De Rohan Arch at the entrance to their hometown by way of marking the incipiency of its status as a city. The gateway, also known by the locals as Il-Bieb il-Ġdid (Maltese for The New Gateway) still stands today. The town's coat-of-arms is also based on that of the House of Rohan.
In 1380 a church dedicated to St. Philip of Agira was built in Casal Zebugi, a tract of land situated in the middle of the small communities which had developed during the previous Arab occupation of Malta, namely Ħal-Dwin, Ħal-Muxi and Ħal-Mula and which were eventually joined together forming the village known till today as Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Filippo de Catania "il-Kataniż" (Philip of Catania) a wealthy entrepreneur owning land in Ħaż-Żebbuġ funded part of the construction of St. Philip Church built on his own land. Long years after it became the parish church another one, designed by Tumas Dingli, was erected in its stead in the late seventeenth century. The church boasts a magnificent titular painting by Luca Garnier and two spectacular murals by the great Maltese 18th Century painter of the Favray school, Francesco Zahra, which critics consider to be his best works. Among other treasures the Church possesses an artefact attributed to Guido Reni and several others by Antonio Sciortino. The statue of St. Philip, by sculptor Luigi Fontana, was created in 1864 and is regarded by connoisseurs as the most beautiful of its genre in the country.
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Wikipedia